The New Normal
by The-stuttering-kiwi
Summary: AU Where Captain Nicholls comes home from war to a pretty special surprise.


**So I wrote this before I checked the imagine for it. The actual imagine has Captain Nicholls coming home as a surprise, and you have a surprise for him, you had recently just had his baby. But, this is close enough hahaha, in this Captain Nicholls survives the war, and comes home to a surprise.**

* * *

"The war is over! The war is over!" 13 year old Franklin Douglas yelled, running top speed through the streets.

Your sister dramically dropped a plate she was putting away, and turned to you slowly.

It took a long moment for those words to processes in your head, as you sat frozen in the middle of folding a tiny pair of brown pants.

"Oh my god." You whispered, a huge smile spreading across your face standing up slowly. You sister screamed happily and ran to hug you. In the midst of the screaming, laughing, and tears neither of you heard the small foot steps coming into the kitchen.

"Mama?" He asked, looking a little frightened. You let your sister go and ran to scoop him up.

"Oh baby, your daddy is coming home!"

He had a confused look on his face as he tried to figure out if he should be happy or terrified. But seeing the smile on your's and your sister's face he cracked an uncertain smile.

"That's it!" You laughed, and gave an even bigger watery smile, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"We will have to get the place all ready for when he comes home and you can help your mama and Auntie Sybil." Sybil said sweetly.

You placed your four year old boy on the floor and whispered for him to go back and play.

Was it really four years? You had the inkling that you were pregnant a few days before James shipped off to France, but you hadn't told him, wanting him just to be concerned about completeing the mission and coming home alive. That idea had stretched into four long years, it never seeming a good time to break the news.

Your sister, your amazing sister, had offered to come and help you while her own husband was at war as well. Both, so far, were alive and uninjured. But most of the families in their own towns were not so lucky- husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, all gone. She felt guilty that she should be so happy when she was surrounded by misery.

* * *

It was another several months before the town got word that their boys were coming home.

It was now in the middle of winter, so yourself, your son, and Sybil were bundled up in heavy coats and scarves, and waited along with everyone else for the arrival.

"Maybe your uncle George and I can give you a cousin to play with." You over heard Sybil talking to your boy, he nodded enthusiastically.

"I hear them!" Someone screamed from upfront. Everyone ceased their excited chatter, and sure enough the loud rumble of trucks was coming ever closer.

All of a sudden a fear gripped you. What if your boy was afraid of James? What if he was terrified of his own father. You had shown him pictures but seeing him face to face was entirely different…

Your heart was in your throat as the line of trucks drove up the street that you, your family, and what looked like the entire town had lined.

And then they stopped, and the men began to hop out.

"George!" Sybil screamed as she caught sight of her head haired husband, he ran toward her and picked her up, spinning her around, deep in a kiss.

When he finally put her down his eyes found your boy.

"Wha-"

"Not yours. Mine." You said quickly.

"Oh!" George said, you thought he looked slightly disappointed.

"Have you seen James?"

"I think the officers were in the front trucks."

You turned your body toward the the front, where more and more bodies flooded, searching for their families.

And then you saw him…

"James! James!" You screamed, waving your arms. His face lightened when he caught sight of you and ran the remaining steps.

You couldn't hear the surrounding noise as he kissed your face, whispering how much he missed you between each kisses.

When he finally broke away you took his hand, "There is someone you need to meet."

You stepped aside so he could see his son. You could see the realization as he took in the blonde hair, blue eyes, and James's thin lips. Seeing them both together, it almost stopped your heart when you realized how much alike they looked.

"This is Joseph." You said quietly.

"Joseph." James echoed in a whisper.

You released his hand and walked to Joseph and knelt down next to him.

"Joey," You said brightly, "This is your father."

"Joey?" James asked again.

You nodded, thinking about Joey, the horse that had brought James through the war. As a cavalry man, she didn't think James would mind.

James knelt down beside you and Joseph, and seemed a loss for words, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Joseph considered him for a moment and threw his tiny arms around James's neck.

You and Sybil began to cry in earnest, and you could see James was beginning to cry himself.

"Why don't we go home?" You said, and your family nodded in agreement.

When you stopped at the door of your house you were surprised to see Sybil and George continue to walk to their home, only a short away up to the next town. Then it hit you- Sybil would be at her own house now.

James seemed to know what you were thinking. "It will be okay." He said in your ear.

"You will have a lot to learn."

"Good thing I am a fast learner." He covered your mouth with his, a small giggle by your knees made you break apart, you took your keys from your pocket.

"Are you ready?" You said opening the front door, Joey ran inside, pulling James behind him as she showed him his toys.

Now it was time to get settled in, and start the new normal.


End file.
